Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Got through the bulk of our taxes this morning while listening to the piano tuner at work elsewhere in the house. In the distance, a neighbor hammered away at something. I felt a kind of solidarity - all of us making things happen, getting it done.

As I drove around, and took care of household chores, I listened to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, written and narrated by Sherman Alexie. I've been wanting to read this book for some time, and when I saw it in Audible's Young Adult section, I decided to preview it for the boys. I'm going to wait a couple of years to play it for them, because I don't think they're ready for at least some of the content. I'm profoundly impressed by the truth, the humor, the integrity and intelligence of the writing. A few things I 'bookmarked':

The world – even the smallest parts of it - is filled with things you don’t know…a huge idea. Even a (small) town is a place of mystery.

Hard work – the act of finishing, of completing, of accomplishing a task – is joyous.

'The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor.' – Vince Lombardi, as quoted in chapter 6.